Leah stood at the side of the bed, clad only in a T-shirt and a pair of underwear as she ran a brush through her wet hair.
She smiled to herself, looking down at him.
His lashes were fanned out beneath his eyes, the stubble rough and dark on his jaw. One of his arms was hanging over the side of the bed, his other hand resting low on his stomach.
The sheet was barely covering him, and Leah gave herself a minute to admire his body before she turned to head back to the bathroom.
Two arms wrapped around her waist, and she yelped as he pulled her down onto the bed and started tickling her ribs. Leah squealed as she flipped over, attempting to grab his wrists.
Finally, after much effort, she was able to get hold of them, pinning them to the bed above his head as she straddled his stomach.
“A*shole,” she laughed between labored breaths, and he smiled up at her.
“I’d be nice if I were you. You do realize you’re only pinning me right now because I’m feeling charitable.”
“Oh really?” she asked, leaning all of her body weight into her arms as she held him down on the bed. “Try it.”
With no effort at all, he raised his arms, and Leah locked her elbows, trying to keep him pinned. He lifted her entire body off him, holding her there for a few seconds while she struggled to push his arms back to the bed.
Danny chuckled as he lowered his arms to the mattress above his head, allowing her to pin him once again, and she shook her head as she relinquished her hold on him. “You know, pretending to be asleep is kind of a creepy move,” she said as she lay down on his chest.
“Is it as creepy as watching someone sleep?”
“Touché,” she said, and he laughed, arching his back as he extended his arms.
“I need coffee,” he said, his voice strained as he stretched, and then his body relaxed as he brought his hands behind his head.
Leah leaned down so that their noses were touching. “I’m on it. There are towels for you in the bathroom,” she said, kissing him quickly before hopping off the bed and heading out to the kitchen.
As Leah started a pot of coffee, she heard the water turn on in the shower.
“I feel like I’m about to step into a car wash,” he called from the bathroom, and she laughed as she opened the fridge.
“You’re gonna love it!” she called back, grabbing all the things she’d need to make omelets. She grated some cheddar cheese and used her Slap Chop to cut up some tomatoes, peppers, and onions, and then she cracked four eggs into a mixing bowl. Just as she was about to start whisking them, she heard the sound of keys in her door and she froze.
The only people who had keys to her apartment were her sister, Holly, and Robyn, and she couldn’t imagine what either one of them would be doing coming to her place right now.
The front door opened and then closed, followed by the sound of soft footsteps. Finally her sister came into view, walking past the kitchen on her way to Leah’s bedroom.
“Sarah?”
She jumped, whipping her head in Leah’s direction. “Oh, hey,” she said, turning into the kitchen. “You’re up.”
“Yes, I’m up,” she laughed. “Why are you sneaking into my apartment when you think I’m sleeping?”
“Because Kyle is coming to dinner at Daddy’s tonight and I was gonna steal your blue cashmere sweater to wear,” she said, reaching over and grabbing a pepper from the chopping board. As she popped it in her mouth, she did a double take at the bowl in front of her, eyeing the four eggs about to be whisked. “Jesus, Leah. Hungry?”
She opened her mouth, fumbling for a response, and before she could come up with something, she heard his voice.
“Alright, that actually did ruin me for all other bathrooms—” His words cut off abruptly as he turned into the kitchen, finding Sarah in there with her. He was clad in only a towel slung low around his hips, the little droplets of water from his shower still clinging to his chest and shoulders. His hand came to the towel, securing it as he cleared his throat.
“Hi,” he said awkwardly.
Sarah grinned from ear to ear. “Hi,” she said, immediately turning to look at Leah.
“Sarah, this is Danny,” she said, looking at him and attempting to apologize with her eyes. “Danny, this is my sister.”
He smiled softly before turning his attention to Sarah. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah,” he said, extending his hand to her.
“You too,” she said, shaking his hand as her smile grew more pronounced.
“Okay, well, I’m just gonna go get dressed,” he said, holding up his hand in both a farewell and an apology before he turned and walked back down the hall.
Sarah slowly turned back to Leah, her grin threatening to split her face in two. Leah heard the sound of her bedroom door closing, and Sarah folded her arms and shook her head.
“Well, well, well,” she said.
Leah picked up the whisk and began vigorously whipping the eggs.
“So,” Sarah said. “Are you guys dating? Because obviously, you’re f*cking.”
The whisk slipped from her hand, splashing egg all over the counter.
“Jesus, Sarah,” she said with a nervous laugh, picking the whisk back up.
“Well? Are you together or just banging? Because goddamn, there’d be no shame in that game,” she said, leaning back out of the doorway and craning her neck to see if she could get another glimpse of him.
“There is seriously something wrong with you,” Leah said with a laugh. She went back to whisking the eggs, and when there was no response from Sarah, she lifted her eyes to see her sister staring at her, a tiny smile on her lips.
“Well?”
Leah sighed. “It’s very, very new.”
“But you’re together.” She said it as a statement.
Leah nodded.
She grinned again, coming around the counter and giving Leah a huge hug. “Yay,” she squeaked in her ear, and Leah smiled.
Sarah let her go and leaned against the counter, grabbing another pepper. “Did Daddy and Chris meet him yet?”
“Not yet.”
She nodded, popping the pepper in her mouth. “He should probably wear clothes for that.”
Leah laughed again, shaking her head as she dumped the veggies and cheese into the eggs. “So, Kyle’s coming to dinner tonight?” she asked, turning the tables on her.
“Yeah. I never thought I’d be one of those annoying girls who says this, but…I think he’s the one.”
Leah raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
She nodded. “Anytime I think of the future, whether it’s next week or next year, I can’t picture anything without him there. That’s never happened to me before.”
Leah glanced at Sarah as she poured the egg mixture into the pan on the stove. “Ohhh, someone’s got it bad,” Leah sing-songed.
“Shut up.”
“All jokes aside, that’s awesome, Sarah. I’m happy for you guys.”
“Ditto,” she said, and they smiled at each other.
Just then they heard the bedroom door open, and they both immediately straightened as if they’d just been caught doing something wrong. They realized the absurdity of their actions at the same time, disintegrating into laughter just as Danny turned the corner into the kitchen. He was wearing his clothes from the night before, and his hair—as usual—was in sexy disarray, the messy wet tendrils sticking out in every direction.
He ran his hand through it, smirking at them as they continued to giggle like little girls.
“I’m not even gonna ask,” he said as he walked over to where Leah stood by the stove and reached for the coffee pot. “Sarah, do you want some coffee?”
“No, thank you. I can’t stay. I just came here to get a sweater from Leah.”
“Funny, I don’t remember saying you could have it,” Leah responded, poking the spatula under the edge of the cooking omelet.
“That’s probably because I didn’t ask.”
She heard Danny chuckle as he poured some coffee into a mug, and she shook her head. “It’s in my closet, on the right side.”
“Sweet,” she said, turning and walking down the hall toward the bedroom.
Leah turned to Danny, her expression apologetic. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t know she was coming.”
He smiled as he leaned up against the counter, bringing the mug to his lips. “No worries,” he said before taking a sip. “It could have been worse. At least I wore the towel out here. I was undecided there for a minute.”
“Well, that would have been eventful.”
He laughed as he came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “What are you making?”
“Omelets,” she said, and she felt him turn his face, nuzzling her still-damp hair.
“Mmm,” he hummed, and she smiled, knowing it had nothing to do with the food.
“Can you push the toast down?” she said, lifting the edge of the omelet with the spatula. “This is almost ready.”
“Yep,” he said, kissing the side of her neck quickly before he turned toward the toaster.
Sarah turned back into the kitchen holding Leah’s sweater. “So Danny, are you coming to dinner at my dad’s house tonight?”
Leah whipped her head toward her sister, her eyes wide, and then she glanced quickly at Danny; his hand was frozen on the tab of the toaster. “Um,” he said, pushing it down slowly, “I didn’t have plans to.”
“Come,” Sarah said. “My boyfriend will be there, and my brother and his wife. It will be fun.”
He turned toward her, smiling easily. “Thanks for the invite. Maybe I’ll swing by.”
“Great,” she said with a nod. “Okay, I’m out of here. See you guys later.” She winked at Leah before she turned from the kitchen, and then the front door opened and closed. Leah kept her eyes on the omelet, poking at it with the spatula.
For a minute, neither one of them spoke.
“I don’t have to go, you know,” Danny finally said. Leah turned to see him leaned up against the counter, watching her. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“That’s not it at all,” she said as she removed the pan from the stove, slicing the omelet in half with the edge of the spatula before dishing it out onto plates. “I would love for you to come. It’s just…I don’t want you to feel obligated just because she asked. She’ll understand.”
“I don’t feel obligated.”
Leah looked over at him. “You really want to come meet my family?”
“I’d love to meet your family,” he said as if it should have been obvious.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Leah smiled as little butterflies flitted through her stomach.
“Well, this will make my dad happy at least. He wants to meet you.”
Danny raised his brow. “He knows about me?”
“Of course.”
It was quiet for a beat before Danny spoke softly. “Everything?”
Leah froze, her hand wrapped around two forks in the utensil drawer. She took a small breath before she looked up to see him watching her intently.
“No,” she said, dropping her eyes, and she could see him look down as he nodded slowly. “It’s not that I’m…you know I don’t…it’s just…he doesn’t know you yet. I didn’t want that to be the first thing he learned about you.”
“I totally understand. I appreciate it, actually.”
Leah heard the tiniest hint of sadness behind his words, and she put down the forks and walked over to where he was leaning against the counter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Danny’s hands came to her waist, gently rubbing up and down her sides.
“I’m not ashamed of you,” she said, and he nodded, looking her in the eyes.
“I know.”
She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, holding them there until the loud growling of her stomach interrupted the moment. She felt his lips curve into a smile against hers, and she pulled back.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
“I can see that.” He laughed, brushing the hair away from her face.
Leah turned and grabbed their plates, and Danny grabbed his coffee and hers, following her out to the table.
They sat down and immediately dug into the food, and Danny shook his head as he chewed. “You’re spoiling the shit out of me with this,” he said, nodding toward his plate.
“You could make this, you know. It’s not hard.”
“You’re overestimating my culinary abilities.”
“You put cars back together!” she laughed. “I’m pretty sure you could make an omelet.”
He grinned, taking another bite. “So what time should I pick you up tonight?”
“Pick me up?”
“Well, yeah. I have to go home first. I’m not gonna meet your dad in my walk-of-shame clothes.”
“No, I know you have to go home,” she said with a laugh, “but you’d have to pass my dad’s house to come up here to get me.”
“So?”
“So you’ll be driving an extra twenty minutes to turn back around and do another twenty back down.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, so that’s a ridiculous waste of time and gas. You don’t have to do that.”
Danny put his fork down on the table and leaned toward her. “Leah?”
“Yeah?”
“What time should I pick you up tonight?”
She stared at him for a second before she conceded with a sigh. “Five thirty.”
Danny smiled, taking his elbows off the table as he picked up his fork. “There. Now, was that so hard?”
As Leah and Danny walked up her father’s driveway, she bit the corner of her lip, glancing over at him. She couldn’t understand how he could be so calm; her stomach rolled incessantly the entire drive to her father’s, and now that they were nearing his front door, she felt like she might be sick.
Danny noticed her looking at him, and he gave her a tiny smile, squeezing her hand as they walked up the steps. They stopped in front of the door, and Leah looked up at him.
“Last chance to back out,” she said, and he smiled.
“I’m all in,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on the small of her back, and she took a deep breath before she turned and opened the front door.
The sounds of talking and laughing instantly greeted them, immediately followed by the smell of Sarah’s lasagna.
Here we go, she thought just as her brother’s voice boomed through the house.
“Oh, you’ve got to be f*cking kidding me! Somebody paid this ref off!”
She flinched and shook her head, looking up at Danny.
“Does he have a swear jar?” he asked.
Before she could answer, Sarah and Alexis came out of the kitchen.
“Hey guys!” Sarah said excitedly, taking the bottle of wine out of Leah’s hands. “Danny, I’m so glad you decided to come.” She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek, and he smiled his dimpled smile at her.
“Here, let me take that,” she said, reaching for the dessert box with the Giovanni’s logo scrawled across the top. “Whatever’s in here needs to be hidden before my brother sees it.”
She turned and walked back toward the kitchen, and Alexis stepped forward, holding out her hand. “Hi, Danny. I’m Alexis, Chris’s wife.”
Danny took her hand and leaned down, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and she blushed slightly.
Leah removed her coat and Danny followed suit. As Leah reached for it, Alexis intercepted it. “No, let me take those. You guys go inside. Danny, the boys are all drinking beer. Do you want one? Or a glass of wine?”
“A beer would be great, thanks,” he said, handing her his coat. Alexis smiled with a nod, turning toward Leah to take her coat. She made eye contact with her, raising one eyebrow before she continued toward the hall closet.
Leah turned to Danny, looking up at him as she took a breath. “Ready?”
He nodded. “If you are.”
She forced a smile and turned to walk toward the family room. Goddamn him, he was still the epitome of calm and collected. Meanwhile, her pulse was rushing in her ears as they approached the room.
As they reached the doorway, three heads turned to look at them simultaneously. Her father was sitting in his usual place in the recliner, and her brother was laid out across the couch, one hand behind his head. Kyle was on the love seat, one arm draped across the back and the other holding a bottle of beer on his knee.
“Hey, look who’s here!” Chris said, swinging his legs over the couch as he sat up, and her father shifted in his chair, gripping the sides as he pushed himself up to stand.
He walked toward them, glancing at Danny before he brought his eyes to Leah. “Princess,” he said, reaching out to give her a hug. He ran his hand up and down her back as he whispered, “Relax,” in her ear.
She nodded, taking a deep breath before he released her.
Chris and Danny were already shaking hands; her brother looked amiable enough, but Leah knew him well enough to see that he was assessing Danny as he looked at him.
“Danny, this is my dad.”
Danny smiled, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Marino.”
Leah watched her father carefully as he reached forward and clasped Danny’s hand, and she exhaled in relief when she saw that Danny was meeting her father’s gaze. For as long as she could remember, her father had always said that he never trusted the intentions of a man who couldn’t look him in the eye when they shook hands.
“Good to meet you, Danny.”
“Here you go,” Alexis said from behind them, and Leah turned to see her handing Danny a beer.
“Where’s mine?” Chris said, and Alexis shrugged.
“My guess would be in the fridge.”
Danny pressed his lips together and looked down, only allowing himself to laugh when everyone else did.
Her father turned and walked back to the recliner. “Have a seat, Danny.”
He took a few steps into the room, and Leah was about to follow just as Alexis said, “Hey, Leah? Sarah said she needs you in the kitchen.”
She glanced at Alexis before she turned to Danny, biting her lip.
“Beat it, mother hen,” Chris said casually, and she shot him a dirty look before turning her eyes to Danny.
“You okay in here?” she mouthed, and he nodded encouragingly.
“He’ll be fine,” Alexis said softly, wrapping her arm around Leah and guiding her to the kitchen.
As soon as they entered, Sarah handed her a glass of wine.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a long sip as she leaned up against the counter.
Alexis held up her hands. “Okay, I’m just gonna say it. Gor…geous,” she said, making it sound like two separate words.
“You should see him shirtless,” Sarah said, smirking at Leah over her wine glass before taking a sip.
“No way,” Alexis said as she fanned herself. “I couldn’t handle it. Pregnancy hormones are a force to be reckoned with.”
“I hate both of you,” Leah said, blushing crimson, and the girls laughed.
The three of them continued working on dinner, and at one point, Christopher came into the kitchen to get another round of beers. As he turned from the fridge, he made eye contact with Leah, and she raised her brow at him. He smiled softly before he winked, and then he made his way back out to the family room.
At that small token of approval, Leah felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, and she smiled to herself as she chopped up the vegetables for the salad.
A little while later, Alexis and Leah were dishing out the lasagna while Sarah called the boys in for dinner. Kyle came through the kitchen first, kissing Sarah’s temple before he continued through to the dining room.
The sound of laughing caught her attention, and Leah turned as Chris and Danny entered the kitchen together. Chris smirked at her, tousling her hair roughly as he passed, and she swatted at him, jerking out of his reach. Before she could fix it, Danny came over to her, running his hands through her hair and detangling it.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Are you having fun?”
“I am. They’re great. And you look much better,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She brought her arms up, interlocking her fingers behind his neck. “I look better?”
“Yeah. You don’t look like you’re about to shit yourself anymore.”
She unlocked her hands from behind his neck and pushed him, and he laughed, pulling her into a hug. Leah rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.
“Was I that obvious?” she mumbled.
“Just a little,” he said against the top of her head, kissing her there before letting her go.
Her father walked into the kitchen then, clapping Danny on the back as he passed. “Brees better come through next week.”
“It’ll happen,” Danny said, and Leah looked up at him, her brow furrowed.
“What was that about?”
“We got a bet going on next week’s game. Me and your dad against Kyle and your brother.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with the weather?”
“What?” he said through a laugh. “What are you talking about?”
“My dad just said a breeze better come through next week.”
Danny stared at her for several seconds before he burst out laughing. “Oh my God,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Do you have any idea how adorable you are?”
He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips before he turned into the dining room, and she heard his laughter start back up again.
She shook her head, still confused as she finished cutting up the last of the garlic bread, and then she brought the tray into the dining room. As soon as she sat, she heard Chris chuckle softly before clearing his throat.
“So, Leah,” he said, “Do you want to get in on this wind bet? I’m gonna see if I can find my anemometer.”
The boys disintegrated into laughter, her father included, and the girls were looking at her with equal parts sympathy and amusement. She turned to Danny, who was trying to get control of his laughter as he looked at her apologetically.
Chris laughed. “Drew Brees is the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, you a*shole. Brees. B-R-E-E-S. Aren’t you supposed to be an English teacher?”
She looked at Danny. “You ratted me out?”
“I had to,” he said, trying not to smile. “Your dad asked me what was so funny.”
She pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “Okay, I see how it is,” she said, picking up her fork and turning to her brother. “And Chris, for your information, Brees and breeze would be considered homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They’re easy to confuse if you don’t see them written down, in case you were interested.”
He paused for a second, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully before he brought his eyes back to hers. “Yeah, I’m not interested at all, actually.”
The table broke into laughter again, and this time Leah joined them, shaking her head. Danny clasped her hand under the table, bringing it up to his mouth and giving it a quick kiss before he released it.
Dinner couldn’t have gone more perfectly if Leah had scripted it herself. Both Danny and Kyle were newcomers to the Marino Sunday dinner, but it felt as if they’d always been part of the tradition. The boys talked cars for a little while once they found out what Danny did for a living, and even though most of what they were saying went right over Leah’s head, she found herself listening intently to the conversation. Danny sounded so intelligent, so ardent, so confident, that she could have listened to him for hours, even if none of it made sense to her.
After dinner the girls brought dessert out to the table, and everyone sat around, sipping coffee and talking casually. At one point Kyle was telling a story, and Leah looked at Danny to find his gaze focused on the other side of the table. He looked almost wistful, and Leah followed his line of sight to where Chris and Alexis were sitting; they were looking at Kyle as he spoke, but Chris’s hand was on Alexis’s belly, rubbing it gently as he listened to Kyle’s story.
She reached under the table and took his hand, and Danny blinked quickly, snapping out of whatever spell he was under as he looked down at her. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze, and he smiled before he returned it.
Just as everyone was finishing up, Leah excused herself to the laundry room to sort her father’s laundry, and by the time she got back to the kitchen, only Sarah and Kyle were left. Sarah was putting the leftovers in plastic containers, and Kyle was loading the dishwasher.
Leah walked toward the family room and popped her head in. Chris and Alexis were sitting on the couch together, watching TV.
“Where are Daddy and Danny?” she asked.
“Outside,” Chris answered.
“What are they doing out there?”
Chris shrugged, his eyes on the television. “Don’t worry. Dad wouldn’t do anything out there. Too many witnesses.”
Leah rolled her eyes, walking to the window and pulling the curtains aside. The outside light was on, faintly illuminating the driveway, and it took her a second to find them. As soon as she did, her eyes stung with the threat of tears.
They stood at the top of the driveway behind the pickup Danny had borrowed from Jake. Danny was off to the side, his hands in his pockets and his head down. The truck bed was open, and Leah’s father leaned on it with both hands, staring tenderly at what lay inside.
After a minute he stood, turning to Danny, and Leah watched as Danny raised his head. They were too far away for her to see their expressions, or even if their mouths were moving, but they stood there for a moment, facing each other. And then her father walked toward him, putting his hand on Danny’s shoulder.
Leah stepped back and let the curtain fall closed, suddenly feeling as though she were eavesdropping. A wave of emotion crashed over her, and all at once, she wanted to laugh, or burst into tears, or both.
Sarah and Kyle joined them in the living room, and Leah curled up in her father’s recliner, attempting to watch TV with everyone else. About ten minutes later, she heard the garage door being opened, and she knew Danny and her father were carrying the slab of concrete into the house.
Eventually she heard the sounds of them coming up the basement stairs, and as the door opened, Leah turned to see her father standing at the top. His eyes met hers, and then he walked over to where she was sitting, bringing his hand to her cheek as he stared down at her. She smiled up at him, and his lips curved into a gentle smile in return before he dropped his eyes and took a tiny, quivering breath. He walked out of the room then, and she knew he must have needed a few minutes to himself.
Leah turned her attention back to the basement steps; Danny was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on her. Before she had even made the conscious decision to do it, she was out of the chair and crossing the room to him. He pushed off the wall as she approached, and Leah immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his chest as she inhaled the scent that was quickly becoming vital to her. He brought his hand to her hair, holding her against his chest as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head.
And that was the moment she knew she had fallen in love with Danny DeLuca.